Listen. I get it. The Internet’s Maid of Honor isn’t going to be your be-all-end-all source for wedding planning. Maybe one day I will get it to that level, but it’s not quite there yet. In the meantime, I want you guys and gals to have all the tools you need. That’s why I scoured the internet for the best of the best tools for planning different parts of your wedding. I really love this list I created (and wish I had utilized more of them when I was planning), so I hope you find something in here that helps you!
I do want to mention that I have several free printables available already for IMOH friends. This includes a reception checklist, 50+ things brides forget to budget for sheet and more. If you’re interested in getting those ASAP, just fill out the form below and they’ll head your way.
1. Find out how popular your wedding date is
Wedding Wire has this tool where you plug in the city you plan on getting married in and the month/year and can see how popular or unpopular the dates you’re looking at are. This is genius, because venues and some vendors are often more expensive in peak times. Also, some vendors may already be overbooked for your date if it’s too popular. Check it out here.Â
2. The Ultimate Wedding Planning Binder
I mean… I had to mention my binder. I honestly think it’s the best one out there, because I tried a lot of other ones and they just didn’t cut it. I made it as an instant download PDF so that brides could print multiple pages of the ones they want and not print the ones they don’t need. I was also hoping that people could print and put in whatever format they found worked best for them. Organization is such a personal preference thing that I wanted it to be useful for all types of brides. I also made sure to actually include things you could save for later to remember this process… anyway, I love it and it’s under $30, so yeah, I recommend this. Ha. Check out the IMOH shop here.Â
3. Asana event planning template
I have been using Asana for the last couple of months to manage my different businesses, clients and more. It is a genius tool that keeps everything so organized and efficient. I just found out they have an event planning template where they lay it out for people who want to plan things like weddings. You can keep track of everything in Asana + attach documents, link to things and even communicate with whoever you’re planning the wedding with. It’d be a great catch-all for your planning. Check it out here.
4. Free wedding budget spreadsheet
A practical wedding made a budget spreadsheet that automatically goes to your Google Sheets. This means you can share with your fiancé and other wedding planning helpers. It may not be perfect for what you need, but it’s a great start and can easily be personalized or adjusted for your specific needs. You can download that here.
5. Vendor short list
Bridebook offers a lot of different virtual tools, but one I really liked was Called “Shortlist.” It helps you track vendors that you’re interested in, the quotes you’ve received from vendors you’ve contacted and compare different quotes. It’s a great way to just keep an eye on what you’ve seen and who you’ve talked to so far. Check it out here.Â
6. Guest list manager
Again, The Knot has various useful tools, but I love their guest list tool. You can input all your guests’ information, track their responses, input their meal selection, import their gifts and track whether or not you sent a thank you card. You can do this for the wedding, showers and more PLUS you can export sheets to give to different vendors (i.e. the meal selections for the caterer). You can do it on the internet or on your phone. It seems to be a super simple way to keep track of EVERYTHING guest related. Check it out here.
7. Seating chart + custom floor plan tool
I loved this tool and had never heard of it until I started researching. AllSeated has actual floorpans, 3-D images and more for specific venues and vendors throughout the country. If you’re venue is on this platform already, you could easily create a floorpan and seating chart for your guests on this platform. I’m not sure how it works if your venue is not on the platform, but something to look into. Check it out here.
8. Wedding registry tool
Simple Registry is a tool that lets you register for anything you want in any way you want. Instead of getting the actual item, guests pay for it and you purchase it yourself. I love this for couples who prefer cash > items. Instead of just writing a check, guests can put money towards you “Flight to Paris,” for example. And you end up doing the booking for it, so there’s no need to worry about changing your mind on the date or anything like that. Below is an example of a real couple’s registry to give you a bedder idea. Check it out here.
9. Free wedding playlists
There are soooo many songs you have to choose for your wedding day, so I love that Bridal Musings has made it a little easier with several Spotify playlists that couples can browse. You may not find the exact song or playlist you want, but this should give you a starting point. Check it out here.
10. An app for staying stress free
Taking care of your mental health is important all the time, but when there’s the possibility of additional stress in your like (ahem planning your wedding), I would make sure to be even more in tune with your mental health. Do whatever you’re comfortable with for breaks or relaxing, but if guided meditation helps you, I would definitely download the Calm app. Check it out here.Â
